Dana
Pronounced D AE1 N AH0 (ARPABET)
- 2 syllables
- Peaked 1971
- 143 years in use
- 1 spelling
How popular is Dana?
Dana is a name given to both boys and girls, and first appears in 1882. It has been given to 271,525 children — the 210th most common girls' name on record.
It has been slipping, down 22% on the previous decade. Its best single year was 1971, when 7,185 children were given it.
Danna is counted with it here, since the two are pronounced identically.
Roughly 20% of children named Dana are boys, so the split is a real one rather than a rounding error.
Spelling variants
These spellings sound identical to Dana and are counted together with it, which is why the totals here are higher than a single-spelling count.
- Danna
Characteristics
- 2 syllables
Phonetic detail
- Pronunciations:
- D AE1 N AH0 · D EY1 N AH0
- Stress pattern:
- 10 · 10
- Syllables:
- 2
Stress digits mark unstressed (0), primary (1) and secondary (2) syllables.
Names like Dana
Same first letter and syllable count, peaking around the same time.
Sibling names for Dana
Names from the same era with a matching rhythm but a different initial.
Frequently asked questions
- How popular is the name Dana?
- Dana ranks 210th among girls' names in US records, with 271,525 births since 1882. Over the past decade it accounts for 10,321.
- Is Dana a unisex name?
- Yes. About 20% of children given the name are boys, which is a genuine split rather than a rounding error.
- When was Dana most popular?
- 1971, when 7,185 children were given the name. It has been in use for 143 years and is still recorded as of 2024.
- How else is Dana spelled?
- Danna. All of these sound the same and are counted together in the totals on this page.